


sans's new trash child

by viking3ggs



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Female Frisk (Undertale), Frisk (Undertale) Is a Sweetheart, Gen, Gilded Age AU, Papyrus is a pure soul, Sans is a fucking fool
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-08
Updated: 2019-02-08
Packaged: 2019-10-24 16:14:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17707517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/viking3ggs/pseuds/viking3ggs
Summary: Sans and Papyrus live in the Gilded Age of the United States! Humans here are most definitely not particularly fond of monsters, but a certain human seems to surprise them.





	sans's new trash child

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this for an assignment in a class i had! it had to be about immigrants during the gilded age/their struggles/etc. i was allowed to make it any setting with any characters of any genre, but i just had to make sure it was in the US and the characters were immigrants and stuff and blahblahblah sorry for rambling.  
> anyways, i haven't written fanfic for the undertale fandom before so i tried really hard on this and really hope it isn't terrible! if people like it, i'll write a sequel and it'll be much better quality!

It’s a curious thing, not being from the same place humans are from. It’s a whole  _ other _ thing to be gawked at by literally everyone they walk by, looked at with disgust, laughed at, and even degraded without having anything said to them. It’s times like these that he had just stayed in the Underground, or even back in Golden City, one of the few cities in the US where everyone was a monster… That way he wouldn’t have to be stared at like he was some side-show freak in a circus.

The skeleton sighs heavily. Oh, he would have done so much better back in Golden City, where all the folks ever did was argue over a little scuffle and bonk heads occasionally with one-another as monsters often do.

Fate always had a different plan for him and his brother though, huh? Despite the way both carried themselves, fancy suits and all, there was no hiding what they were from everyone who saw them. Freaks… And Sans hated it. He didn’t know how Papyrus felt about the whole thing, but Sans certainly hated it. Most every human they came across seemed to be disgusted by monsters, and Sans felt as though the feeling was mutual.

Had they been  _ humans _ that immigrated here from someplace like  _ Scotland _ or whatever, it would be much easier for them to find nice jobs. Unfortunately, all this place had to offer monsters like him and his brother, no matter how nice their suits and personalities were, no matter how good they appear on their applications, were jobs like this one. Manual labor, with one big hammer slamming down over and over on spikes, driving them into stones. 

Sans is a lazy guy. He doesn’t particularly like work, but this was the only way he and his brother could afford to stay in that stupid run-down tenement. His co-workers bore holes into his skull, staring him down in disgust, just because he was a monster. If he didn’t know any better, he would have picked up all of them by their souls and thrown them into the machines!

But that would have just proven assumptions that he was trying to disprove. Instead of being angry, he turns his head to look at them all with that same smile he kept plastered on his face at all times. Everyone who’d been staring immediately seemed taken-aback when he gave a friendly, “Heya buds. Everything doing fine?” His teeth didn’t part when he spoke, which was disturbing to all the humans around him for sure. Rude fucks.

Multiple people cleared their throats, mumbled an “everything is fine”, then turned their heads away to continue their work. Sans turned his head back to look down at what he’d hammered and then looked at the time. 

He had three hours of his damn shift left. Fantastic.

*     ~ *     ~ *

Coming home, Sans’s bones all ached from the amount of work he’d done. Knowing his brother, he probably didn’t feel the same. Papyrus was always on the move, doing something to keep busy. He unlocks the door to his and his brother’s shabby tenement and is immediately greeted with the smell of something delicious. His brother must have made dinner. The short skeleton grins and walks into the living room, letting the door swing closed behind him as he walks past the couch, where he tosses his coat, leaving him with just his waistcoat on over his dress shirt. 

“Hey bro, dinner smells great. I haven’t seen you in the mood to cook spaghetti since-” 

He stops in the entryway of the small kitchen, staring in shock. In front of the stove, a human child stirs a pot of sauce. She’s probably around 10 to 12 years old, and has short brunet hair cut in a bob style, while her skin has a light tan to it. She was wearing one of Sans’s old sweaters.

Off to the side, he saw his brother looking through the pantry. “AH YES! I HAVE FOUND MY SPECIAL INGREDIENT FOR THE SPAGHETTI!” The much taller skeleton turns around to face his brother in the doorway, “SANS! COME MEET OUR NEW FRIEND! I FOUND HER HIDING AMONGST TRASH ON MY WAY HOME!”

Sans looked a little shooken up. He hasn’t seen his brother  _ this _ cheerful since they got their new clothes.

“Uh… Paps, why is she wearing my clothes?”

“OH, WELL HERS WERE RAGGEDY AND OLD, AND MADE OF SOME SORT OF BURLAP! I THOUGHT IT WAS UGLY SO I LET HER PICK SOMETHING OUT FROM OUR CLEAN LAUNDRY.” Papyrus takes the item in his hand (a massive glowing red onion) and tosses it into a basket beside the stove. He then picks up the small stocky skeleton and carries him over to the girl, who puts a lid on top of he sauce to look at them both with a curious, as well as rather confused, smile.

“HUMAN, THIS IS MY BROTHER, SANS! SANS THIS IS THE HUMAN!”

“... You don’t know her name?”

“ER… SHE NEVER TOLD ME.” Papyrus set him down in front of her. He was quite a bit shorter than her. She had to be at least 4”11”, while Sans stood at just 4”5”. 

“Hey kid. What’s your name?”

The girl made a series of motions with her hands and Papyrus sighed.

“HUMAN, WHY DO YOU KEEP DOING THAT WITH YOUR HANDS? WE DON’T UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU’RE DOING.”

“... Papyrus, she’s using sign language. It’s sign language… I think it’s Italian sign?”

The girl practically jumped with joy when he said that and Sans’s grin became much wider. She could clearly understand English, but couldn’t speak it.

“I must be right then. Alright, mind spelling out your name for me then kiddo? So my brother doesn’t have to keep calling you by your species?” He chuckles and she nods before she begins to spell out it for him.

F-R-I-S-K. Frisk. Frisk?

“Is your name Frisk?”

She nodded excitedly.

“HUMAN- ER… FRISK! IT IS NICE TO FINALLY KNOW YOUR NAME! I BELIEVE IT IS MY TURN FOR THE STOVE NOW, THOUGH. SANS, WHY DON’T YOU TAKE HER TO THE LIVING ROOM- AND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD PICK UP YOUR SOCK! THAT THING IS RANCID IT’S BEEN SITTING ON THE FLOOR IN THERE SO LONG, YOU SLOB!”

“Yeah, sure thing Paps.” Sans didn’t plan on picking up his sock.

He led her out of the kitchen and cleared a spot on the couch for her to sit, then slumped down right next to her, yawning, “Welp, I’m takin’ a nap kid.” She looked at him with a frown, and Sans sighed, “Yeah?”  

Frisk gestured at the sock Papyrus mentioned and he snorted, “That thing? Ah, nah. It’s not worth it. Too much energy has already been drained from me today kiddo.” She pouted and Sans just rolled his eyes.

He yawned again, leaning back and ignoring the gentle baps she gave him in an attempt to get him to stay conscious… it was all in vain because soon Sans was asleep and it would be near impossible to wake him up until he decided he wanted to.

When he finally did open his eyes after his nap, Frisk seemed to be tugging him into the kitchen by the collar of his shirt, where the smell of his brother’s spaghetti was much stronger than before. Sans hummed, “Smells great Papyrus.”

It seemed that as soon as Frisk realized Sans was awake, she decided to let go of his shirt, making his skull hit the floor with a light thud. 

“LOOK AT YOU! MAKING THE HUM- UM… FRISK DRAG YOU IN HERE! LAZYBONES.” Papyrus set out the plates on the table as Sans huffed and pushed himself to his feet, his grin never wavering.

“What can I say? I sleep like a rock sometimes.” Sans took a seat at the table where a plate was set for him. He sat there silently not eating it. This would be the perfect time to prank the kid… or get her to laugh. Whichever way this went, would be hilarious.

The longer he sat still there, not eating the food, the more concerned and bothered Frisk became. She pointed at him, signing and asking why he wasn’t eating.

Sans, being the fool he was born to be, looked her dead in the eye, “Ah, right. Sorry, kiddo. I better eat my brother’s spaghetti before he makes me feel some regretti, huh?” Sans, his grin still plastered to his face, dragged the plate closer to himself. He picked up the fork, brought it to his teeth, and tapped the fork against his teeth, acting as though he couldn’t open his mouth. The spaghetti smushed against his teeth and bones and Papyrus stared at him with an unamused expression, while Frisk watched with confusion. He then drops the fork on the table, goes, “Wow, Paps. This tastes amazing.” Then slams his face into the pasta with a loud, comical smack. 

Frisk covers her mouth quickly, trying to hold back her giggles, while Papyrus groans in annoyance, stands up, and walks to the sink. All of this, while Sans has his head still in the spaghetti.

“SANS YOU SLOB!” Papyrus took a washcloth from above the sink and got it wet, turning on his heel and quickly walking over to his brother. He forced his head to look up and proceeded to clean his face off like he was a 3 year old. “YOU KNOW ALL TOO WELL I HATE WHEN YOU DO THAT! ESPECIALLY WHEN WE HAVE GUESTS AROUND.”

San’s couldn’t hold back his chuckles as they escaped him, unable to help himself. “Sorry, Papyrus. I couldn’t help myself. I didn’t know if the kid’s seen a skeleton like me eat before, and I wanted to try and experiment a little bit.”

His disgruntled younger brother just mumbled  _"I can't fucking believe you, Sans"_  under his breath in ‘Hands’, the little lights in his eye sockets rolling in annoyance. Sans then looked at the kid and opened his mouth, “Don’t worry kiddo, I can eat like Paps. I just wanted to mess with you.”

After that, the three of them ate their dinner in peace. Well, that is until a question popped up in Sans’s head. He looked at Frisk, his smile unwavering as he asked in a quiet tone, “Hey, kiddo… Why were you so easygoing about coming back home with my brother? This isn’t exactly the nicest part of-- well, anywhere, and from what I’ve seen… Humans ‘round these parts aren’t too fond of monsters, especially not us. Regardless of how nice we are.”

“AND WHY WERE YOU ALL ALONE AMONGST THE TRASH, FRISK?”

The child looked down at her now empty plate sadly, pushing herself away from the table after a few seconds and standing up.

“Wait, uh- I’m sorry Frisk-”

“FRISK I APOLOGIZE-”

She raised her hands up to make them both stop talking. She looked at Sans and began signing to him, wondering if he could translate everything from Italian Sign to verbal English for his brother. 

“Oh um… Yeah, sure thing kiddo. I can do that for you.”

She smiled and tried to explain everything as best she can at a pace he could follow. 

_ Frisk’s family immigrated here from Italy, and in her family, they had a very special etiquette when interacting with anyone. Treat everyone the same, regardless of who they are, and be kind no matter their race, species, nationality, or whatever would matter in the eyes of others.  _

_ Unfortunately, not too long after her family arrived in the US and they’d found themselves all jobs, they got caught up in bad business with foul people, who took advantage of their kindness and hospitality. Humans could be cruel, unfair creatures, and these humans were the kind that fit that mold. They turned Frisk into an orphan and took her home, leaving her to wander the streets homeless for days on end. Her clothes got worn and gross, which caused her to have to resort to wearing burlap sacks and old clothes other families had thrown out. _

_ She’d been staying in alleyways, hiding around trash and dumpsters to avoid people who may hurt her, until Papyrus had managed to spot her. Out of the kindness of his soul, he offered to take her home with him and get her cleaned up, and when he asked her if she would like to stay for dinner, she couldn’t refuse. After all, she hadn’t had a good meal for a month. _

All that rounds back to the present. That’s why she was here, and wow was Papyrus trying to not cry?

“Woah, Papyrus, are you okay?”

“NO! SANS, CAN WE PLEASE KEEP HER? SHE’S NOT SAFE OUT THERE, BROTHER! SHE NEEDS SOMEONE TO PROTECT HER AND I REFUSE TO LET FRISK BACK OUT THERE WITHOUT SOMEONE BY HER SIDE!”

“Oh, there’s no way in hell I’m letting her out there alone again, Papyrus.”

Frisk looked at them both, tears filling her big brown eyes.

“Ah, man, kid. Don’t cry!”

“COME HERE, YOUNG HUMAN! THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL GIVE YOU A GREAT HUG!” 

Sans watched as Frisk practically threw herself into the tall skeleton’s arms, burying her face in his waistcoat as she breaks into uncontrollable sobs. The brothers both stared at the girl, Papyrus rubbing her back with a gloved hand. He looked at Sans helplessly, and he sighed.

“It’s alright kid. We’re more than happy to take care of ya if you don’t got nobody… After all, Paps and I know what it’s like to not have anybody. We practically raised ourselves.” 

Sniveling, Frisk turns her head to look at Sans, expecting to hear more out of him. Man, he wasn’t expecting to have to tell their life story, but maybe it would help her feel a bit better.

“Papyrus and I are from the Underground, and English definitely was not out first language. Our first was ‘Hands’, something pretty much exclusively spoken by skeletons… Something that our father spoke to us with.” Sans rubbed the back of his skull in thought, phalanges tapping lightly on the table with his other hand, “One day our dad vanished when we were kids. We didn’t really… Have anyone else besides him. We don’t even remember what our mom looked like at that point. When he disappeared, well, we had to learn how to do everything ourselves. I got crappy jobs while I was down there and Papyrus took up learning how to cook at his young age, becoming a pretty decent chef fairly quickly.

“Papyrus and I had one goal; we wanted to go to the surface and start a new life, leaving behind the one where our pops left us all alone. We learned other languages too, so we could work and integrate ourselves better into society with humans. Eventually, we reached our goal and got ourselves a couple’a green cards so we could start working in the US. We moved to Golden City, where most monsters lived and stayed when takin up residence in the states, and Papyrus and I worked and lived there for a while. It was nice while it lasted and all, but eventually, Papyrus and I needed a change of scenery… Sometimes I regret it though because now we’re treated even less than anyone else. Even other minorities treat us like trash because we’re monsters.

“Papyrus and I have… Had a rough time, since we were about your size, but we… We persevered, ya know? And I’m glad we did. Monsters don’t got the same kinda souls humans do, we don’t have vibrant, bright colors, but we have strong ones. Strong souls that can really get us through stuff.” Sans finally let out a sigh, looking down at the table, then back up at Frisk, whose tears had completely stopped. His constant grin grew wider than it had already been(somehow) and he winks at Frisk in a friendly manner, “You must have a soul like a monster’s, kiddo, ‘cause your soul is stronger than any human’s I’ve seen.”

She blushed, embarrassed, then started to laugh softly. She signed a simple ‘thank you’ at him and Sans immediately knew he’d just sold his soul to ensuring the safety of this little girl, no matter what it would take.

Frisk was his kid now, and whoever hurt his kid would have to answer to him.


End file.
